Blue Ridge Greenway Hikes

Sunday, we checked out of the hotel and had breakfast in Lenoir then drove up to Blowing Rock and stopped at the Blue Ridge Conservancy Conservation Campus off Aho Road.  There is a two-mile loop trail through the woods on the property.

The trail had many switchbacks so wasn't strenuous at all and passed by some cool rock formations.

After finishing the loop, we took a short stroll on the Pollinator Walk.

The little garden had a lot of cardinal flowers, milkweed and other pollinator-friendly flowers.

Rattlesnake master had some really interesting flowers.

From here, we made a short drive up US-321 to the Sterling Creek Park trailhead for Middle Fork Greenway. 

The greenway is still in development, but about a mile of trail was available here leading up to Tweetsie Railroad.

The trail ended at the entrance road at US-321 so we turned around here.

Past the parking area in the other direction, the trail ended shortly.  I found a path out to a scenic spot on Middle Fork.

It was still too early for lunch so we made one more stop at Brookshire Park.  We took the greenway south under the bridge and followed New River Hills to a low-water bridge over the river.

Across the river, we picked up the Boone Greenway.  There was a groundhog near the wastewater treatment plant.

We went as far as the pedestrian bridge over the river and then headed back.

Booneshine had opened by the time we got back so we could have barbecue for lunch before driving back to the much hotter weather in Raleigh.

Mount Jefferson Hike

Saturday, we headed to the NC High Country again to beat the hot weather, heading to Mount Jefferson State Natural Area.  Starting from the park office, we took Mountain Ridge Trail up the mountain, first coming to Sunrise Overlook.  It was early enough that the east-facing view wasn't too washed out.

Continuing on, we turned at the split for Spur Trail to head out to Sunset Overlook with a nice view over West Jefferson.

Back on the main trail, it was another half-mile or so to Jefferson Overlook, the uppermost overlook along the entrance road.  I think this one has the nicest views.

Just past here, the trail went up stone steps above some rock outcrops.  In the past,  it was a rock scramble to get up but they had since built the stairs.

The trail ended shortly after at the summit parking area.  There were some cool chicken of the woods mushrooms growing on a tree in the picnic area.

From here, we got on summit trail up to the top, but there isn't much of a view here, so got on Rhododendron Trail.  I spotted a hickory tussock moth caterpillar along the trail.

There were a couple spots to catch a nice view from the trail.

But the best views were from the far end of the trail at Luther Rock.  We stopped here and took a break to enjoy the views.

Then we finished up the loop and hiked back.

We had worked up an appetite and stopped in West Jefferson for lunch at Boondocks Brewing.  They have nice covered outdoor seating so we could dine with Alex.  After lunch, we stopped at Barks and Co. so Alex could pick out some treats.  It was a tough choice, but he went with the bacon bits.  Then we headed to Boone and parked at the trailhead for Boone United Trail.  This trail leads from Boone United Methodist Church through a conservation easement along Howard Knob.

It was moderately steep, but lots of switchbacks so it wasn't too bad.

Near the top, there was a loop and I think there was a second loop, but we missed the turn and then all downhill back to the car.

We had a light dinner and then checked into the hotel in Lenoir for the evening.

Thunderhole Hike

Sunday, we had breakfast at the hotel and then headed back up towards Blowing Rock.  We took Globe Road south and then FR-4071 to the end near China Creek.  Hiking down China Creek Trail (#250), we came to Thunderhole Falls Trail (#253) in about a half-mile.  It was just a short distance to Thunderhole Falls.  The climb down was very steep and we needed to use the rope to get down.

The water level was low, but it's still a really nice waterfall.

I climbed up to the middle section for a better view of the upper drops.

The main drop is on Thunderhole Creek while the one to the side is on a small tributary.

After enjoying the falls, we climbed back up and continued down China Creek Trail.

After crossing China Creek, there were two crossings of Thunderhole Creek.  On the last, Alex took a dip and wasn't happy to have gotten his belly wet.  Shortly after, the trail climbed up above the creek and a steep scramble path led down to Lower Thunderhole Falls.

It's a small waterfall, but the pool at the base is lovely.  If it had been a little warmer, I would have taken a dip.

After climbing back up, I continued on China Creek Trail to where it ends at FR-4071 and then we hiked back.

After driving out of the forest, we got on the Blue Ridge Parkway and stopped at Raven Rocks Overlook.

We hiked a short ways eastbound on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail from here.  The trail followed the road then went in the woods for a short ways before hiking through some open fields.

Some cows were grazing in the field.

We hiked about a mile, just past Blackberry Road and turned around.

From here, we stopped for lunch at Booneshine again and then made the drive home.

Pond Mountain Views

Saturday, we headed out to the High County to beat the heat.  We drove to the extreme northwest corner of North Carolina to Pond Mountain Game Land and headed up the steep gravel road to the parking area.  Once above the trees, the views here were fantastic.

And there was no one else here, despite being a Saturday in the summer.  We hiked down the gated road that is also the horse trail.

This area was a former Christmas tree farm before it became game land.  Most of the trees had been harvested and so we had the best long range views.

The road went about a mile to a barn and a permanent gate at the summit of Pond Mountain.

There was a lot of buckwheat flowering throughout the area.

Being so open, the wildflowers were blooming through the summer.

Most of the evening primrose were closed, but I spotted one that was open.

Heading down the other side of Pond Mountain, the trail descended steeply and went through a wooded area and then another open area.  We passed a couple of the small ponds for which the mountain is named.

After passing through the open area, the trail headed back into the woods and we didn't go too far before turning around.

Back over Pond Mountain, we saw one other couple who had arrived after us.  They too remarked how spectacular the views here are.

Back at the car, we headed down the mountain and stopped in Mountain City for a quick hibachi lunch.  Then we continued towards Boone and drove up Dutch Creek Road to the end at the small parking area for Bear Paw State Natural Area.  The gated road continued up past an old cabin and continued following Dutch Creek upstream.

There were some nice wildflowers blooming along the trail despite the full canopy.

Some of the Turk's cap lilies were really big.

Near the headwaters of Dutch Creek, the trail went through an overgrown powerline clearing then got a little steep.  With flagging tape, it wasn't too hard to follow and soon go to Hanging Rock Ridge for the final climb up.  The trail ended at an overlook.

Bear Paw/Hanging Rock was difficult to see with all the foliage, but the view of Grandfather Mountain from here was great.

After a short break, we headed back down.

Some little mushrooms were sprouting from a dead tree.

Back at the car, we headed into Boone for dinner at Coyote Kitchen, which has a nice outdoor seating area for Alex.  The tacos were very filling and the pineapple-habanero salsa was delicious.  After dinner, we headed to Lenoir and checked into the hotel.  I was still full from dinner so went for a walk on the Lenoir Greenway since I could access just off the parking lot.

I went as far as Powell Road and turned back.